In short: Perfect local raceIn full: Everything about this race is tip-top: scenery, organisation, marshaling, medal and t shirt, and cake at the finish. The very definition of the perfect local race. Date of review: October 3, 2016

In short: Chester delivers againIn full: A superbly organised half marathon. Andy and Chris are excellent race organisers and seem to be able to get things right again and again. In addition there was some fantastic support along the whole route and the finish, after a couple of tough hills, was really uplifting. Add in my unexpectedly fast time and I was a verry happy chappy yesterday afternoon. Date of review: May 18, 2015

In short: Good 10k in some diificult weatherIn full: This is my kind of race, not too fussy but well run and a good quick course. It's well marshalled and the sort of local race which makes you feel proud of the running community. You can rock up, knock out a race and then get away quite quickly afterwards, just perfect for a dismal Sunday morning like this one was.Well done to everyone involved.Date of review: March 29, 2015

In short: Magnificent race in God's own countryIn full: You really can't beat this one in my opinion: glorious scenery (and I mean amazing), lovely organisation and a tough challenge that is a perfect marathon tester. It's probably a bit of a trek out to Rhayader for most people but that creates a fantastic atmosphere, and it's just a really brilliant expereince. I first ran it last year so this is my second go, but it'll be on the calender every year from now on. A must-run. Date of review: March 8, 2015

In short: Not bad but doesn't deserve a top notch rating - some big issues to addressIn full: Ok. This race is ok. Not great, and the three other city marathons I've done - London, Chester and most recently Belfast - were much, much better. On the upside my girlfriend got a PB. And the baggage drop off/pick up is well organised.However...The race is too congested, and it makes it quite unpleasant dodging in and out behind other runners. The route is dull and the road surface in places is atrocious. It was a slog rather than an enjoyable race. This was the second time I've ran the Edinburgh Marathon, and the first in 2012 was warm and sunny. This meant I was a bit blind to the organisational issues I saw this year as it pissed it down. There is nowhere dry post-run to sit down and rest, the food in the bags was rubbish, and the lack of stewards to direct you about was appaling. Then a 20 minute walk in the bloody rain to the buses back to Edinburgh. When we got back to Edinburgh the bus drove past our parked car to the centre of town (just the one stop) so we then had to walk another 15 minutes in the, by now, torrential rain. By the time we got back to the car we had been on the go for about an hour and 45 minutes. So in summary, race ok, pretty underwhelming, organisation crap. Edinburgh: could do much better. Date of review: May 26, 2014

In short: Bloody hot but a great finish and very well organisedIn full: A really good race, very nice atmosphere and a proper 'big race' feel (in a positive way). Water stations were very efficient which was vital on such a hot day. Only gripe is that the t shirt size L seems a bit small, but that's a minor complaint that does nothing to detract from a very enjoyable occasion.Date of review: May 18, 2014

In short: Great course and lots of support, would definitely do it againIn full: Really enjoyed this. Good organisation, apart from the problesm with getting into the start area which was poorly handled, but no real complaints. Baggage storage was great, and I was able to park nearby so I managed to get away pretty quickly. Really good race.Date of review: March 23, 2014

In short: So much to love, but so much wrong as well!In full: I love the Run Northumberland events, they have a great atmosphere and beautiful scenery, and the races themselves are good and tough. However, the organisation in places was pretty, pretty bad. The parking at a school then getting a bus to the start system was awful, we arrived at 8.30am and didn't get on a bus until 9.15, meaning we got to the race HQ with just 15 mins to sort ourselves out. Eventually they delayed the start, but this meant a lot of standing around in freezing cold wind. Also, despite very keen and friendly marshalls they weren't well organised and there weren't enough. Water stations were a bit of a mess as bottles weren't availble and there was sometimes only one person handing water out to a number of runners coming through at once. After one disastrous water stop I was unable to grab a bottle and had to get a discarded one from the side of the road.Still, I finished, I got a great t shirt and my girlfriends family cheered us on and brought a picnic. They also gave us a lift back to the school - where we drove past, yes you guessed it, another queue of cold runners waiting to board another bus. Date of review: March 16, 2014

In short: Good pre-marathon slog around a race trackIn full: I enjoyed this race, it was pretty slick in terms of organisation if lacking a certain warmth, but then it is quite a corporate style organising group. Still no complaints, about the quality of the route or the actual race organisation, all perfectly functional. Only gripe maybe is that for £22 I'd expect a better goody bag (a protein shake and a flapjack and some supplement pills - that was it), not a t shirt but maybe something else. Why can't races be a bit more creative in what they give out? Its sponsored by Asics, surely they could supply some socks or something? Anyway, getting back to the race, it was fine and a good day out.Date of review: February 23, 2014